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UBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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3v. -V, c,-?.* ^'««®; 







MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 



HENRY B. ANTHONY. 




Delrrerediii thie ^iieuate 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES, 



ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS ; 



DEI-I\'EIC1-D IN THE 



SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 



HENRY B/ANTHONY, 

II 
A SEN'ATOR FROM RHUUE ISLAND, 




PROVIDENCE: ® 
SIDNEY S RIDER. 

'875- 






ANGELL, BURI.INCiAME & CO., PRINTERS. 



STEPHEN ARNOLD DOUCtLAS. 



Stephen A. Douglas, died in Cliicago, June 8, 1861. 
On the llth of July following, at tlie special session of Con- 
gress, resolutions of respect to his memory were introduced 
into the Senate, (^n these resolutions Mr. Anthony ad- 
dressed the Senate as follows : — 

Mr. Pr,'sich-i(f : To the affectionate praises of friends, and 
the magnanimous eulogies of rivals, I hope it will not be 
deemed presiimptuous, if I add a few remarks from one who 
sustained towards the subject of these resolutions the relation 
of personal friendship and of political antagonism. 

I first met Mr. Douglas soon after he had taken his seat 
in this body, in whose del>ates and (h'lil)erations he had al- 
ready begun to hold a leading part, and with whose history 
his name has since been so closely identified. The frank 
cordiality of his manners, the unaffected kindness of his 
heart, the directness of his speech, and the readiness with 
which he declared himself upon all the questions of the day, 
made upon me that favorable impression which a more inti- 
mate acquaintance strengthened and confirmed. 

It is not my purpose to follow his public career, or to en- 
liirge upon the (;[ualities of his character ; that grateful office 
has already been performed. But I have often thought that 
in his indomitable energy and will, in his sturdy self-reliance. 



4 JI E M R I A L A 1) I> K E S S K S . 

ill his early development, and his rapid march to success, he 
Avas no unfit type of the American character. As a de- 
hater. Congress lias afforded to liim very few equals, eitiier 
in (his cliaiiilicr. nr in the ntlur House, where his earlier hon- 
ors were won. Iiiexhaustihle in resources, fierce and auda- 
cious in attack, skillful and ingenious in defence, he parried 
every thrust, and he struck with irresistible fury at the weak 
point of his adversary. He was a party man, but he loved 
his country better than his ]iarty ; and in tlie crisis which 
darkriicd tlic iduiitrv, in liis latter days, he rose to the full 
height (if the occasion, and appeared in tlic full proportions 
of an American Senator. His last utterances were for the 
Union ; his last aspiration was for his country ; nor is that 
country unmindful of his renown or ungrateful for his ser- 
vices. In tlie perils of civil commotion, and amidst the shock 
of fraternal strife, she pauses to weep at his tomb. 

That voice to which we have so often listened with earnest 
attention, ii]ion wliich these ciowded galleries have hung, 
hour after hour, with unwearied delight, is hushed forever ; 
and that home, so late the scene of genial and graceful ho.s- 
pitality, is shrouded in gloom : and to tliosc who sit in its 
chambers of darkness, it seems tiiat joy can never again cross 
its threshold. To tliem I dare not address myself; for I 
well know that, at this time, the idea of consolation would 
seem almost like wrong to the dead, and that u])on their ears 
words of tenderest sympathy would fall almost -w itii tiie 
harshness of insult. I5ut, Mr. President, you and I know 
that, in the good providence of God, time, the healer, will 
come to them, as it comes to .all, and that what is now a bit- 
ter anouish will come to be a ehiistened sorrow, softened l)v 
the recollection of Ids greatness and his fame, consoled by tin' 
honors wliidi the American peojile will jiay to his memory. 



JOHN R. THOMSON. 



On the 4tli of Dcceinbei", 1862, rescilutious were presented 
in the Senate, deehuiiig the regret of the hiidy a-t the death 
of .roiiN R. Thomson, and its lespect for his memory. Mr. 
Anthony addressed the Senate as foUows : — 

3Ir. President : I am unwilUng to let tliis occasion pass 
without adding my tribute of respect and affection for our 
departed associate. 

My acquaintance with jMr. Tliomson was formed in this 
eliamber. It liappened tliat the first committee ou wliieh I 
was phiced was one on wliich he had long borne a leading part. 
He was in the majority, I in the minority. I was charmc^d 
with the kindness of his reception, with his cordial address, 
and his genial manners ; and our acquaintance ripened into 
friendship, as I became familiar with the quality of his tem- 
per and excellencies of his heart. At that time, as has been 
so well said by his successor, he was surrounded by the men 
wlio were the controlling senators in this body, and who arc 
now the chiefs of an atrocious rebellion. They were his per- 
sonal as Well as his political friends ; but his friendsliip did 
not survive their loyalty ; and when tlieir counsels became 
treasonable, he no longer shared in them, I)ut openly de- 
nounced them. No consideration of partisan policy or of 
personal friendship stood between him and his country. 



(i MICMOKIAL A I) 1) K KSS ES . 

Mr. 'riiiiiiison was a man of Imsiiicss. thoroiin'hly convei"- 
siiiit with uffair.s, possessiiii;- an extensive knowledge of trade 
and fuuiuci'. Althoujili liljenilly educated, liis tastes did not 
lead him to literary pursuits. He made no pretensions to 
oratory. He diil not aid tn weigh down the leaden columns 
of the Congressional Glol)e with those abstract discussions 
whiili wr know are not listened to when they are spoken, 
and which we have little reason to ap])rehend are read when 
they are printed. But when he had occasion to take part in 
tiie discussion of practical subjects, or to give his views upon 
measures that aifected tlie interests of his constituents, he ex- 
pressed himself cleai-ly, forcibly, and tn tlic purpose ; and he 
was listened to with that attention which a man always 
connuands who speaks only when he has something to say, 
and only on a subject that he knows something about. To 
wliatover matter he addrt'ssed himself he brovight a clear 
head, a calm judgment, anil an lionest jmrpose. 

In his private character, no man could be more guileless 
and amiable : no man more faithful to his friends, or more 
charitable to his opponents. Enemies he had none, but the 
enemies of his countiy. Tiic last time that I saw him was by 
his own fireside, where he most loved to be. and \\here he de- 
lighted to dispense its liberal and elegant hospitalities. Per- 
haps the shadow of the coming event was upon him, and 
bodily weakness may have influenced his spirits, for he seemed 
less cheerful than usual ; but all his conversation was of his 
country, and of the calamities wliicli the rebellion had brought 
upon it ; and all his aspirations were for the success of our 
arms, and for the rei'stablishment of the federal authority 
over every foot of territory that had ever been sheltered b^- 
its flag. Little did I then think that, before we should meet 
here again, he would receive the inevitable summons that, 
sooner or later, calls us to the "undiscovered country." 



J O 1 r N K . T FI O JI SON. 



How often, Mr. President, in the brief period since I have 
been associated with you in the public councils, has the sliaft 
of death fallen in this chamber! First, Broilcviclc — lirave, 
faithful and true — fell, the proto-niartyr in the great cause 
for which so many have since suffered ; then Douglas, who 
had just taken from party what was meant for mankind, on 
whom his country had begun to ))uild higher hopes than 
ever before, and wlien she needed all her sons as she never 
needed tliem before. Then Baker, the friend and eulogist of 
Broderick, passed away amidst the smoke of battle, his dying 
eves lixcd on the flag for which he would have poured out the 
bldod uf n hundred lives ; then Bingham, modest, earnest, 
unselfish and true hearted ; and now Thomson, wliose char- 
acter has been so faithfidly portrayed by the Senators wlio 
have preceded me. 

Thus, Mr. President, one after another is taken from our 
councils ; one chair after another stands vacant on this floor . 
familiar faces disappear ; and new voices mingle in our delil)- 
erations. How strikingly, even in the presence of events 
that shake a continent and arrest the attention of the world, 
do these successive monitions speak to us of our own mortal- 
ity and of the littleness of earthly concerns, in comparison 
with that future existence to whose eternal chambers this life 
is lint the vestil)ule, the portal! And how, in that compari- 
son, does tliis life, though crowded with mighty interests, 
seem to us but 

" A peevish April day; 
A little sun, a little rain, 
And then nijibt sweeps along the i)Uiin 

And ;dl tinngs fade away-" 



WlLIJAiM P. FESSENDEN. 



William 1'itt Frssenden diud in Pdilland. September 
8, 1869. Resolutions in honor of liis memory were presented 
in tlie Senate, on the 14th of Decemher, 1869. On these 
resolutions Mr. Anthony addressed the Senate as follows : — 

il/;-. President : It is not with the expectation of adding' 
anything to what has heen said, hut rather for the gratifica- 
tion of my own feelings, that I rise to make one more trihute 
to flic wditii of oiir friend, whose face we sliall not see affain 
witli mortal eyes. His history has been recited bj'' those who 
knew him from his youth, his character has been depicted by 
tliose who loved him. Much of that history joassed under 
our own observation ; and all of that character was appre- 
ciated and ailmired by tliose who were associated with him 
in tliis l)o(ly, and who, by general consent, accorded to him a 
place second to that of no man in it. 

In rendering my cordial assent to all that has been spoken 
in praise of Mr. Fessenden. I onl}' repeat of him dead what I 
have said of iiim li\ ing. It is the general fortune of eminent 
public men to be greatly slandered in life, and to be unduly 
eulogized in death. If Mr. Fessenden did not altogether es- 
cape the former, history will admit that even the high praise 
that has been pronounced upon him to-day, is not exaggerated, 
is not the outpouring of personal friendship, which seeks relief 




l^^^', 



/5 



WILLIAM P . F E S S E N D E N . 9 

from its sorrow in the extravagance of eulogy, but the delib- 
erate judgment, which those who were long associated vith 
him had formed of his character. Tluit judgment, which is ex- 
pressed in words after his death, was expressed in acts fluring 
his life. The great weight which his counsels carried in this 
chamber, the uniform respect jiaid to his opinions, and the 
conspicuous positions assigned to liiiu, all attest the estimation 
in whicli he was held. And this estimation was undiniliti'(ll\- 
hnniih'd nn real merit, fur Mr. Fcsscndcu had not the arts of 
popularity, and perha|)S held in too light esteem those appli- 
ances of suavity which often cover pretension and superficial- 
ness, but by which real merit does not sometimes disdain to 
strengthen itself. Hence he relied ujion facts fairly presented 
and upon arguments logically adduced, for the success of a 
measure, and, when these failed, he did not resort to personal 
solicitations or to individual jjersuasions. And as he did not 
make such appeals himself, so he did not yield to them, when 
they came from others. I might recall to you some remark- 
able instances in which he argued for the convictions of his 
judgment, against all the force of personal solicitations, backed 
by his own sj-rapathies. This temper of mind, this intellectual 
conscientiousness, gave him, with superficial observers, the 
reputation of indifference to jiublic opinion. 

But this reputation was not deserved. On the contrary, 1 
think that he was sensitive to public opinion, and honest praise 
or censure affected him, perhaps the more because he woidd 
not purchase the one or conciliate the other by concessions 
that are generally regarded as venial. For that public opin- 
ion which is manufactured to order, he had great contempt, 
and flattery did not impose upon him. Even to honest but 
transient public opinion, founded on limited observation and 
shallow reasoning, Mr. Fessenden, I have sometimes thought. 



10 M K. M () i; I A 1. A i> r> i; k s s k s . 

flirt noljjive tliconiisiik'iatidii tliai wasilnc: lur tliisisnot tohe 
ovcrlDdked in slia])iiiy' li'<;isiiitii>u ; and iindcilVci' institutions, 
wliric |i<ilitiiai iiartics ai'c a necessity, statcsnii'ii cannot safely 
fortirt thai tliey are also pdliticians. and that, working tlin)U<ili 
the insiiniiicntaiii \ (it'|)ai'ly. snnietliinn' must he eomH'ded to 
tlie strcnutlieninL;' ol' that |iarty wliicli tiiey hold to he i(h-nti- 
fied willi the hest interests of the country. But <;enuinc 
]iulilii' npiniim. the sentiment of tliinking men. the delilierate 
judnuuiit III' the iMunitry. Mr. Fesseudeu held in jirofound 
res])eet : and altlnniL;!! even to tliat he wonld not sacrifice his 
conscientious ciinxicl icuis. he diU'ered iVoui it cantionsh- and 
reluctantly. 

I>y some, who knew him siiLjhtly. ]\Ir. Fcsscnden was re- 
gardetl as a hannhty man. This lie was not, in any offensive 
sense ol' the word. lie was L;ra\c and reserved ; unciiunuoid\' 
(piick of a|i|irehension. he was impatient of tiie souu'times 
s1m\\ cr proei'sses of other minds, and he carricil liis intolerance 
of jii-etcnse and sham to a fault : — to a fault, hecanse he .some- 
tinu^s c(uifounded these with what were oidy the liarmless 
peculiarities or even the settled judgments of others: l)ut 
wiiatever he uiight i-Jaim f(ir the conclusions to which he had 
hroughl his min(L he assumed no supcrioi-ity for liimself in 
reaching them. A tru(n-, kinder heart heats in no living breast 
than that w hich now lies cold and pulseless. The universal 
affection in which he was held hy those who sustained to him 
the I'clations nf ih'pcndeuc'' and suliordination is the best 
pi'oof of this. 

It is not given to men to achieve perfection ; else this would 
not be a state of disci}iline ; but of those elements which go 
towards it few possess so many as did Mr. Fi'ssenden, con- 
spicuous less for the fleeting graces that adorn a character, 
than for the sdlid virtues that dignifv and ennolile it : with 



W I 1. L 1 A ,\t I' . F li S S ]■: N IJ 1-; N . 11 



small portion of llie nianiicr wliirh the great and tlic little 
may alike ]iut on. with miieli of the qualities that nnly the 
great and the good possess. 

He will long be held in grateful and aifertionaff renieni- 
branee, for his masculine and vigorous intellect, for his pure 
and honest statesmanship, for his careful and exact acquire- 
ment, for the independence wliich nothing could shake, for the 
integrity which nothing coidd corrupt ; and, underhing all. 
for that sound common sense, that intellectual as well as inoi'al 
rectitude, upon which, as upon a basis of enduring granite, 
rose the beautiful superstructure of his character. 

How often, Mr. President, iluring the troublous and perilous 
times through which tlic nation has ]iasscd ; how often. \\ lien 
clouds settled darkest U])ou us and dangers gathered thickest 
around us, have we felt to invoke the s[)irits of the mighty 
dead, and to call upon the fathers of the Re])ulilic, that tliey 
would absent them "from felicity awhile," audlea\iiig the 
mansions of eternal rest, mingle once more in tlic contests 
of earthly affairs, and teach us lio\\ to [ireserve the institu- 
tions which their wisdom and patriotism liad estalilished I 
And when, turning from the uuanswering dead to the living 
present, we have looked to those wlm were wisest in coun- 
cil, firmest in purjiose, and purest in heart, never did we 
fail to recognize among them him whom we now lanu'nt. 
And it seems to us that he is taken from us at a time when 
he is most needed, when the questions are inq lending that 
he best could grapple, when the problems are presented tliat 
he best could solve. We look around for those who shall 
fill his jilace. But there is One wiio doeth all things «ell. 
In the order of His j^rovidence, it is not permitted for any 
place long to remain vacant ; whomever He takes away. He 
raises up others to fill the void that is left. So it was with 



lli MK.MOKIAL ADDRESSES. 

Douglas ; so it was witli Collanu'i- ; so it was with Foot ; so 
it was with Lincoln. So it will be with Fessenden. And 
so, Mr. President — long distant be the day — will it be with 
you anil w itli others, our wisest and our best. Men die, but 
thiir words are left on reeord, their Morks remain, their ex- 
ample survives. He who has made a record like that we are 
now reviewing, he who has achieved a character like that 
which we now hold up to the youth of America, may well 
say, when the supreme liour arrives — 

" Non oiiinis nioriiu-; imiUaque pars mei 
Vitabit LibitiiKuii." 




r^^^-^^^^ 



/ 



NATHANAEL GREENE. 



A resolution was passed in Congress, July 2, 1864, inviting 
each State to furnish, for the old Hall of the House of Repre- 
sentatives, " two full-length marble statues of deceased per- 
sons who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their 
renown, or from civic or military services, such as each State 
shall determine to be worthy of national commemoration." 

In accordance with this resolution, the General Assembly 
of Rhode Island transmitted to Congress a statue of Major- 
General Nathanael Greene. On the 20th of January. 1870, 
Mr. Anthony presented in the Senate the following letter : — 

State of Rhode Islaxd, ExEcrTivE Departmext^ '^ 
PuoviDEXCE, .lamiary 3. 1S70. | 

Slu: 111 aoiordaiuf witli a resolution of Congress, passed JuK 2, 
1864, iuvitiiiir eaeh State to fiiruish, for the old Hall of the House of 
Representatives, •■ two full-length marble statues of deceased persons 
who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their renown, or 
from civic or militiixy services, such as each State shall determine to 
be worthy of national commemonvtion," the State of Rhode Island, 
by a vote of its General Assembly, has caused to be made two marble 
statues, one of Roger Williams, the Founder of the State, the other 
of Majoi'-General Xathanael Greene, a distinguished officer of the 
Armv of the Revolution. 



14 M E J« O Ji I A L A M 1) i: K S S K S . 

I have now the honor to inform yon th;it tho statue of Major-Gen- 
eral Nathauael Greene, by Mr. II. K. Brnwiu-. :in American arti-st, is 
finished, and has been forwarded to WasluiiLTtoii and delivind )i> the 
arcliitoct of the Capitol. 

With liigh respeet, I liave the honor lo remain 

Your most obedient servant, 

SETH PADELFOKD. 
To the President of the Senali nf tin: United Slatea, 

WdKhiiKjton, D. V. 

After the letter luid lieen read. Mr. .\ii11iniiy addressed the 
Senate as foUows : — 

lUr. President : I am cliarged — we are charged, my col- 
leagues of the two Houses of Congress and myself, hy the 
(iovcrnor of the State which we represent. — witli tlie honor- 
able duty of presenting to Congress, in his name and in tiie 
name of the General Assemhly and of tlie people of the State 
of Rhode Island and Providence I'lantations. a marhk- statue 
of Nathanael Greene. 

This statue has been placed in the old Hall of the llcjusc 
of Representatives, in pursuance of an act of Congress, by 
which that beautiful cluunbiu', itscli' rich in precious memo- 
ries, is dedicated to historic valor, to patriotism, to statesman- 
ship, to learning, to conspicuous excellence in all tlie elements 
that constitute national greatness. 

The heroic age of our country is enveloped in no fable, 
aii<l the historian is not driven to doubtful miracles, to mar- 
vels and portents to add to the dignity of its origin, nor need 
he resort to fanciful legends to increase the interest of his 
narration. The stalwart men who planted the colonics from 
which these States arose have left the authentic nu'morials of. 
their principles and their actions, their trials and their tri- 
umphs. And the men whose valor achieved the independence 



N A T H A I< A E L GREENE. 15 

of the country, and whose wisdom founded tlie institutions of 
the great republic, are separated from us by so short a period, 
and one of such active historical in(}uiry, that their lives and 
characters stand before us, almost as if they had lived in our 
daily presence. 

By tlie act of Congress referred to. each State of the Union 
is invited to place in the old Hall of the House of Representa- 
tiA^es the statues of two of her illustrious citizens, already 
consecrated bv death, who Ihiurislicd in anv period of her his- 
tory. Rhode Island, which has the earliest responded to the 
invitation, has selected for this honor two of her early heroes, 
one from the colonial and one from the revolutionary period. 

The first is Roger Williams, the great Founder of the State, 
who first declared and maintained the principle at the founda- 
tion of all true civilization, SOUL LIBERTY, the right of every 
man to worship God according to his own conscience, respon- 
sible to no human laws, restrained by no interposition of 
Chxu-ch or State. Of Roger "Williams there exists no portrait- 
ure, nor, so far as I am aware, any reliable description of his 
person or his features. He lives, not in the breathing marble 
or upon the glowing canvas, but immortal, in the everlasting 
princij^le which he first asserted and vindicated, and which, 
now recognized as an essential part of human society, was 
then regarded as nothing better than impracticable and mis- 
chievous fanaticism. The State, unwilling that the great 
name of her Founder should be unrepresented in this solemn 
assemblage of fame, has decreed, in its commemoration, an 
ideal statue, made from such scanty materials as tradition has 
supplied. She could do no more, and she felt that she should 
do no less. 

In this respect, the memory of Greene is more fortunate. 
His statue is from authentic likenesses, and represents him 



16 MEMORIAL A D D l: E S S E S . 

" in liis habit as he lived," and in the full prime and viEfor 
of his manhood. It was oxoeuted by Hcniy Kirke Browne, 
whose name, already of hitjh rejjntation, will receive fresh 
honors from his latest work. As a prodnct of American 
art it is confidently sulniiitlcd (o tlic jndL;)iii'iit of criticism. 

Mr. President, we have just jiassed Ihroiioh, not yet alto- 
gether through, the severest trial in tlie liistory of our country. 
The popidar heart beats high with gr;it(liil admiration for 
valor and condiu-l ]iro\cd in tlic licld, tor wisdom disjilayed 
in the cabiTK't. 'J'lic roinitry joyt'idly decorates licr heroes 
with her freshest laurels, and heaps upon her soldiers and 
statesmen her selectest honors. We, Senators, interpreting 
the will of the nation, have been promjit to render, IVom 
tills ehainlier, oni' contributions to the n;ition;il gratitude. 
And it is right that it slimdd be so. '{"lie KepuMii- is 
stronger, as well as juster, when thus honoring her de- 
fenders, and presenting such rewiirds to the emulation of 
the rising generation. 

But while we render all due honor to living valor, while we 
proudly hand over to the Muse of History the mighty names 
thai, have illustrated our recent annals, it is well to freshen the 
recollection of those whose fame she has long had in her keep- 
ing. While we celebrate the praises of those who have saved 
the country, let us not forget those without whom we should 
not have had a country to be saved : those who, in the begin- 
ning, few in numbers, feeble in ]iower. scant of resources, but 
strong in the principles which they had inherited with their 
opjiressors, armed with the stern virtues that are born of 
difficulty and nurtured in peril and privation, dared to defy 
the might of England ; who trod the pathway of victory 
with bleeding feet, and upheld the banner of independence 
with hands that were wasted by famine. 



NATHANAEL GBEENK. 17 

While the names of Vicksbnrg, Fort Donelson, and Roan- 
oke Island, South Mountain, and Antietam, and Gettysburg, 
and Ajjpomattox, should be kept fresli in the memory of the 
country, let not the earlier glories of Lexington and Bunker 
Hill, of Princeton, and 'J'renton, and Stony Point, of Cowj)ens 
and Eutaw Springs, of Saratoga and Yorktown, be ever for- 
gotten ; nor yet those of Chippewa, Plattsburg, and New 
Orleans. 

Among those wlio, in the revolutionary jjeriod, Avon titles 
to the national gratitude never disavowed, he whose statue 
we have placed in the Capitol, stands, in the judgment of his 
contemporaries and by the assent of history, second only to tin; 
man who towers without a peer in the annals of America. 

I shall not attempt an analysis of his character, nor an 
enumeration of the great deeds upon which his fame securelv 
rests ; nor shall I discuss that fertility of resources by which 
he supplied an army from an impoverished country, without 
disaffecting the population ; that marvellous skill and conduct 
by which he Maamg the results of victory from the very jaws 
of defeat, and, Avith inferior forces, drove and scattered before 
him a well-appointed, disciplined enemy, Hushed with the 
insolence of conquest ; that self-reliance and persistence by 
which he refused everjr suggestion to abandon the southern 
campaign, and, from the field of disaster, declared, " I will 
recover the Carolinas or perish in the attempt." How well 
he proved these words no idle boast, how well he kept his 
pledge, I do not propose to repeat. All this has been recently 
done by an abler hand. A literary monument, more durable 
than marble, and destined to a permanent place in the litera- 
ture of the language, has just l.ieen completed to his memory, 
by one who inherits his blood and his name, and whose pen 
is worthy of his grandfather's sword. 



18 MEMOKIAL ADDRESSES. 

But I canuot refrain from bringing to the attention of the 
Senate some passages from the eulogium pronounced upon 
General Greene, by Alexander Hamilton, before the Society 
of the Cincinnati. It was expected that Washington would be 
present, but illness kept him away ; but there were many 
there who had served with tlie orator and witli the departed 
chief. No man was better fitted than Hamilton to discuss 
tlie cliaraeter and services of Greene. No audience Avas bet- 
ter fitted to judge of the justness of the estimate which he 
put upon them : — 

"From you who knew and loved liim I fear not tlie inii)utation ot 
flattery, or enthusiasm, when I indulge an expectation that the name 
of Greene will at once awaken in your minds the images of whatever 
is noble or estimable in human nature. The lidelity of the portrait I 
shall draw will therefore liave nothing to apprehend from your sen- 
tence. But I dare not hope that it will meet with equal justice from 
all others; or that it will entirely escape the cavils of ignorance and the 
shafts of envy. For high as this groat man stood in the estimation of 
his country, the whole extent of his worth was little known. The situ- 
ations in w'hich he has appeared, though such as would have measured 
the faculties and exhausted the resources of men who might justly 
challenge the epithet of great, were yet incomiieteut to the full dis- 
play of those various, rare and exalted endowments, with which 
nature only now and then decorates a favorite, as if with intention 
to astonish mankind. 

"As a man, the virtues of Greene are admitted; as a patriot, he 
holds a place in the foremost rank ; as a statesman, he is praised; 
as a soldier, he is admired. But in the two last characters, especially 
in the last but one, his reputation falls far below his desert. It re- 
(|uired a longer life, and still greater opportunities, to have enabled 
him to exhibit, in full day, the vast, I had almost said the enormous 
jiowers of his mind. 

" The termination of the American war — not too soon for his wishes, 
nor for the welfare of his country, but too soon for his glory — put 
an end to his military career. The sudden termination of his life cut 



KATHANAEL G R E E IST E . l',l 

him off from those scenes which the progress of anew, immense, and 
unsettled empire could not fail to open to the complete exertion of 
that universal and pervading genius which qualified him not less for 
the senate than for the field. 

" In forming our estimate, uevertlieless, of his character, we are not 
left to supposition and conjecture, we are not leftto vague indications 
or uncertain appearances, which partiality nnght varnish or prejudice 
discolor. "We have a succession of deeds, as glorious as they are un- 
equivocal, to attest the greatness and perpetuate tlie honors of his 

■p rt Yfx p " ^ "^ '^ ^' ■* ■* ■^ * 

" He was not long there before tlie discerning eye of the American 
Fabius marked him out as the object of his confidence. 

"His abilities entitled him to a preeminent share in the councils of 
his chief. He gained it, and he preserved it, amid all the checkered 
varieties of military vicissitude, and in defiance of all the intrigues of 
jealous and aspiring rivals. 

" As long as the measures which conducted us safely through the 
first most critical stages of the war shall be remembered witli appro- 
bation ; as long as the enterprises of Trenton and Princeton shall lie 
regarded as the dawnings of that bright da,y which afterward broke 
with such resplendent lustre ; as long as the almost magic operations of 
the remainder of the memorable winter, distinguished not more by 
these events than by the extraordinary spectacle of a powerful army 
straitened within narrow limits by the phantom of a military force, 
and never permitted to transgress those limits with impunity, in which 
skill supplied the place of means, and disposition was tlie substitute 
for an army; as long, I say, as these operations shall continue to be 
the objects of curiosity and wonder, so long ought the name of Greene 
to be revered by a grateful country. 

" To attribute to him a portion of the praise which is due, as well 
to the formation as to the execution of the plans that effected these 
important ends, can be no derogation from that wisdom and magna- 
nimity which knew how to select and embrace councils worthy of 
being pursued. 

" The laurels of a Henry were never tarnished by the obligations 
he owed and acknowledged to a Sully." 



■-'() M K M O R I A L ADD R E S S E S . 

After reviewing liis service in the Jersey buttles, the eulo- 
gist passes to the southern campaign, where Greene, by tlie 
express selection of ^\'asllingt()n, was placed in command: — 

" IIi'iuil'i)rtli wi- :ui' Id viiwliiiu on a more exalted eminence. He 
is no longer to ligure in an ambiguous or secondary light; he is to 
sliiiic I'orlli the artifirci- ol' liis own glory — the leader of armies and 
deliverer of States !"***»»• 

" Greene, without foil Ik r delay, entered upon that Uusy, compli- 
{■aliMl. ami ixiraiiriiinary scene which may truly he said to form a 
phenomenon in war — a scene which almost continually presents us, on 
the oni^ liand,with victories ruinous to the victors; on the other, with 
retreats beneficial to tlie vamiuishcd ; which exhibits to our admiration 
a comman(k^'' almost constantly obliged to relinquish the field to his 
adversary, yet as constantly making acquisitions upon Iiini; beaten 
to-day; to-morrow, without a blow, compelling the conqueror to re- 
move the very object for whic'h he had conquered, and in a manner 
to i\\ from the very foe which he had subdued." 

Speaking of the l)old determination of Greene, after the 
battle of Guilford Court-House, to return to South Carolina, 
instead of going to the rescue of Virginia, threatened by a 
junction of Cornwallis and Arnold, Hamilton says : — 

" This was one of those strokes that denote superior genius and 
constitute the sublime of war. It was Scipio leaving Hannibal in 
Tt;i!v to overcome him at Carthage ! 

" The success was answerable to the judicious boldness of the de- 
sign. The enemy were divested of their acquisitions in South Caro- 
lin;i and Georgia with a rapidity which, if not ascertained, would be 
s(-arc(dy credible. In the short space of two months all their posts in 
the interior of the country were reduced. The perseverauce, courage, 
enterprise, and resource displayed by the American general, in the 
course of these events, commanded the admiration even of his enemies. 
In vain was he defeated in one mode of obtaining his object; another 
was instantly substituted that answered the end. In vain was he re- 
pulsiil before a besieged fortress; he immediately found other means 



NATHANAEL GREENE. 21 



of compelliug its defenders to rcliuquish their stronghold. Where ' 
force failed, address and stratagem still won the prize." 

Washington measured his words with care, and was chary 
of praise. In a letter to Greene, upon his retirement from 
the office of Quartermaster-General, lie wrote : — 

" You have conducted the various duties of it with capacity and 
diligence, entirely to my satisfaction, and as far as I have had an op- 
portunity of knowing, with the strictest integrity. When you were 
prevailed on to undertake the office in Marcli, 1778, it was in great 
disoi'derand confusion, and by extraordinary exei'tionsyou so an-anged 
it as to enable the Army to take the field the moment it was neces- 
sary, and to move wilh ra|)i(lity after the enemy, when they left Phila- 
delphia. From that period to the present time your exertions have 
lieen equally great. They haw. appeared to me to be the result of 
system, and to have been well calculaled to promote the interests and 
lionor of your country. In fine, I cannot but add that the States have 
had in you, in ray opinion, an able, upright, and diligent servant." 

General Greene died at the age of forty-four. What might 
tlie country liave reasonably expected from the full life of the 
man who, at so early an age had accomplished so much ? The 
administrative qualities that he manifested throughout his 
whole military service designated him for a great civil career, 
which, proljably, would not have stopped short of the highest 
honors of the Republic. But a true life is measured by what 
it accomplishes, not by the time that it lingers. He lived 
long enough to secure for his name a place high on the en- 
during records of his country, forever in the affections of the 
American people. 

On the 8th of August, 1786, Congress, on the report of a 
committee consisting of Mr. Lee, Mr. Pettit, and Mr. Car- 
rington, adopted the following resolutions : — 

" Resoh-ed, That a monument be erected to the memory of ISTathan- 
ael Greene, esq., at the seat of the Federal Government, with the 
following inscription : — 



22 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 



" ' Sacred to the memory of Nathanael Greene, esq., a native of the 
State of Ehodc Island, wlio died on the 19th of June, 1786, late major- 
general in the service of the United States, and cDinniiindir of their 
Army in the southern department. 

" ' The United States in Congress assembled, ill hcuiDrof jiis patriot- 
ism, valor, and ability, have erected this mouuiucnt. 

" Besolved, That the Board of Treasury take order for the execu- 
tion of the foregoing resolution." 

This measure of national gratitude was not i-arried out. 

We think that we shall not be charged with undue State 
pride, if we submit that the marble which we now present to 
you is a worthy commencement of the collection which it 
inaugurates, and wliich is to hand doM-n to the future the 
glories of the past, the Valhalla of America. Others will be 
placed by its side, worthy of the august companionship. The 
future citizen will walk with patriotic awe among the effigies 
of his country's grandeur, and gather inspiration, as he sur- 
veys their venerated forms. States, yet to be admitted into 
tlie Union, will crowd yonder HaU with the' statues of their 
founders, defenders, and benefactors, till the great dome of 
the Capitol shall be too small to cover the silent assembly of 
our immortal dead. 

Mr. Sumner introduced the following resolution, which, after 
speeches from the mover, from Mr. Sawyer of South Carolina, 
and from Mr. Morrill of Vermont, was unanimously adopted : — 
Besolved, That the thanks of this Congress be presented to the 
Governor, and through him to the people of the State of Rhode Island 
and Providence Plantations, for the statue of Major-General Greene, 
whose name is so honorably identified with our revolutionary history ; 
that this work of art is accepted in the name of the nation and as- 
signed a jilace in the old Hall of the House of Representatives, already 
set aside by act of Congress for the statues of eminent citizens; and 
that a copy of this resolution, signed by the President of the Senate 
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, be transmitted to 
the Governor of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. 



EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GENERAL GREENE. 



On the 12tli of May, 1874, Mr. Anthony introduced a con- 
current resolution with these remarks : — 

Mr. President : I offer a concurrent resolution which 
requires a few words of explanation. Several timely and 
appropriate resolutions which have been offered by my friend 
on my right, the chairman of the Committee on Public Build- 
ings and Grounds, [Mr. Moreill of Vermont,] and the 
interest which the Senate has manifested in the embellish- 
ment of the Capitol grounds, have brought freshly to my mind 
a duty long neglected, towards one of the most illustrious 
names in American history. 

Mr. President, it is well on towards an hundred years since 
the Continental Congress decreed a statue to Nathanael 
Greene, Avhose sudden and premature death, in the fullness 
of his fame and in the earl}^ prime of his manhood, had im- 
pressed his countrymen with a sense of national bereavement, 
to which Congress hastened to give expression. I say "a 
statue." The words of the resolution are : — 

" Eesolved, That a mouument be erected to the memory of Nathan- 
ael Greene, esq., at the seat of the Federal Government, with the 
following inscription: — 

" ' Sacred to the memory of Nathanael Greene, esq., a native of the 
State of Rhode Island, who died outhe lOth of June, 178G, late major- 
general in the service of the United States, and commander of their 
Army in the southern department. 



24 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 



" ' The United States in Congress assembled, in honor of his patriot- 
ism, valor and ability, have erected this monument.' 

'■'■ Besolved, That the Board of Treasury tnkc ordir lor tlic ixccu- 
Tion of the forcgoinp; resdlutidii." 

It is luauifest that a statue, an ('(juestrian statue, is so nuu'li 
the most suitable form of a inoiiumcnt, in such case, that it 
may be said to be the only suitable oiw.. I ])resume tliat no 
other would be thought of. 

Doubtless, a main reason wliy tliis resdliition of Congress 
was not promptly carried out was that- tlic scat of tlie Federal 
Government had not been established. 

This has, long since, been done, and Wasliington is fast 
assuming the proportions, adojiting the eonveniene(!S, and 
putting on the adornments that befit tlie capital city of a 
government of forty millions of people. 

Architecture, the most useful of the fine arts, naturally led 
the way. The public buildings of Wasliington, completed 
and in process of construction, are among the finest in the 
world. The capitals of Eiu-ope offer nothing to surpass them ; 
and Athens, in the age of her purest taste, would not have 
disdained the Corinthian beauty of yonder eastern front, or 
the Doric majesty of the Patent-Office. Sculpture and paint- 
ing follow in natui-al order. Already, in the public squares, 
and in the circles and spaces where the great avenues that 
bear the names of the States intersect the rectangular streets, 
the forms of heroes and statesmen rise, like sentinels, over- 
looking the city and keeping perpetual watch, in marble and 
in bronze, over the Government with whose glory their 
lives were identified. 

This edifice in which we hold our deliluratious is one of 
the most splendid structures thai the hands of man liavi^ piled 
upon the solid earth. Its adornment has hardly begun. As 



EQtJESTRlAN STATUE OF GEN. GREENE. 



the years roll on, the statues of the mighty dead will not onlv 
crowd the hall dedicated to them, but wiU meet the eye in 
the corridors and passages and wherever there is appropriate 
space. The walls will be covered with pictures representing 
the great events in American history ; and the sister arts will 
preserve the lineaments of the men who have made that his- 
tory illustrioiis, and will thus hold-them up, silent monitors, 
before the eyes of those who have succeeded to their respon- 
sibilities. 

The grounds of the Capitol have just been enlai-ged, and 
measures have been taken for their proper embellishment. 
To this embellishment sculpture will largely contribute. 
There must be numerous statues at the entrances and in the 
grounds. Taking the long roll of those Avhose immortal mem- 
ory will claim this distinction, and Imt a moderate number of 
whom can be accommodated, no one would omit the name of 
the second General of the Revolution, even if the place had 
not been dedicated to him, first of all, by resolution of Con- 
gress. To keep in mind that pledge to preserve to him the 
place already assigned to him, and to designate its exact loca- 
tion, is the purpose of the resolution. 

The concurrent resolution was read and agreed to, as 
follows : — 

Whei-ens, the Continental Congress resolveci,ou the 8th of August, 
178(5, that a monument be erected at the seat of the Federal Govern- 
meut bearing the inscription, " Sacred to the memory of Nathanael 
Greene, esq., a native of the State of Khode Island, who died on the 
19th of June, 1786, late major-general in the service of the United 
States, and commander of their Army in the southern department. 
The United States, in Congress assembled, in honor of his patriot- 
ism, valor, and abilitj', have erected this monument:" Therefore, 

Be it enacted hy the Senate, {the House oflieprcscniatives concurrimj ,) 
That the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds be instructed 



26 M E M U It X A r. ADDRESSES 



to designate ajjou the Capitol grounds a site for an equestrian statue 
of Nathanael Gro(>nf, in conformity witli tlii' foregoing resolution. 

Till' resolution was adopted, and concurred in by the House 
nf Representatives. 

At a subsequent period of the same session, an appropria- 
tion of forty thousand dollars was made for the erection of an 
equestrian statue of General Greene on the Capitol grounds. 



ROGER WILLIAMS. 



On the 9th of Jauuary 1872, Mr. Spragiie offered a let- 
ter from the Governor of Rhode Island to the Vice-President 
of the United States, presenting to Congress a marble statue 
of Roger Williams, to be placed in the old Hall of the House 
of Representatives, in accordance with the invitation ex- 
tended to all the States, in the act of Congress of July 2, 
1864. At the conclusion of Mr. Spragiie's remarks, Mr. An- 
thony spoke as follows : 

Mr. Preside7it : I had not intended to interpose any re- 
marks, at this time, for although it is always an easy and a 
pleasant duty for a Rhode Island man to discuss the character, 
to recount the history, and to celebrate the praises of the great 
Founder of our State, I have received no intimation, from 
those who had charge of the subject at home, that anything 
from me was expected or desired. And yet, Sir, it is hardly 
possible for a Rhode Island Senator to remain entirely silent, 
when, in this high presence, the theme is Roger Williams ; 
and I am sure 3-ou will not deem it an intrusion or an invasion 
of the province of my colleague, to whose abler hands this 
matter has been committed, and who has so well performed 
the duty assigned to him, if I detain you, very briefly, before 
the question is put. 

My colleague has well said that it was a hajipy idea to con- 
vert the old Hall of the House of Representatives into the 



28 MEMORIAL ADDRESSES, 



Pantheon of America. The idea originated with my distin- 
guished friend wlio sits ujion my right, [Mr. Morrill, of 
Vermont,] then a leading member of the House, as he is now 
of tlie Senate. It was, indeed, a happy idea to assemble in 
the Capitol the silent effigies of the men who have made the 
annals of the nation illustrious ; that here, overlooking our 
tleliberations, inspiring our counsels, and animating us by 
their example, they may seem to guard the greatness which 
they founded or defended. 

And 1 do not deem this proceeding an idle form, but rather 
a high ceremonial of the Republic ; and I anticipate, with a 
patriotic pleasure, that it will be repeated, from time to 
time, until every State shall have sent her contribution to 
this assemblage of heroes and patriots and statesmen and 
orators and poets and scholars and divines — of men who, in 
every department of greatness, have added lustre to the Amer- 
ican name. And as often as this scene shall recur ; when 
Virginia shall send to us the statue of Washington, which 
cannot be too often repeated in the Capitol ; and with it that 
of Thomas Jefferson or of P;itrick Henry ; when North Caro- 
lina shall send us Nathaniel Macon; and South Carolina 
shall send us Sumter or Marion, and Georgia shall send us 
Oglethorpe ; when Kentucky shall seiad us Daniel IJoone and 
Henry Clay, and Tennessee shall send us Andrew Jackson, 
and Illiniiis sliall send us Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. 
Doualas, and Missouri shall send us Thomas H. Benton ; when 
New York shall send us Peter Stuyvesant and Alexander 
Hamilton ; when Connecticut shall send us Roger Sherman 
and Jonathan Trumbull — I believe they are here already ; 1 
know that the blood of l)oth is represented in this chamber by 
men coming from States that were not born when the names 
whicli tlieir Senators worthily bear were first made illustrious — 



R O G K R W I L L I A M S . 29 



when Vermont shall send us the stalwart form of her hero 
who thundered at the gates of Ticonderoga "in the name of 
the Continental Congress and the gi'eat Jehovah;" when 
New Jersey shall send us the greatgrandfather of the Senator 
who sits on the opposite side of the chamber [Mr. Stockton] 
and the uncle of the Senator who sits nearer me, [Mr. Fre- 
LLNGHUYSEN ;] when Pennsylvania shall send us William Penn 
and Benjamin Franklin ; and when Massachusetts, pausing in 
the embarrassment of her riches, looking down the long list 
of her sous wlio, in arms, in arts, and in letters, in all the 
departments of greatness have contributed to her glory, shall, 
with hesitating fingers, select two to represent that glory here ; 
then, and on every such occasion, I trust that the spirit of 
party will cease, that the voice of faction will be hushed, 
and that we shall give an hour to the past. We shall be the 
wiser and better for it. 

In all our history no name shines with a purer light than 
his whose memorial we have lately placed in the Capitol. In 
tlie history of all the world, there is a no more striking exam- 
ple of a ina.n grasping a grand idea, a,t once, in its full propor- 
tions, in all its completeness, and carrying it out unflinchingly, 
to its remotest legitimate results. 

Roger Williams did not merely lay the foundation of relig- 
ious freedom ; he constructed the whole edifice, in all its im- 
pregnable strength, in all its imperishable beauty. Those 
who have followed him, in the same spirit, have not been able 
to add anythiiig to the grand and simple words in which he 
enunciated the principle, nor to surpass him in the exact fidel- 
ity with whicli he reduced it to the practical business of 
government. 

Religious freedom, which now, by general consent, underlies 
tlie foundation ])rinciples of civilized government, was, at that 



30 M E M O R 1 A I> ADDRESSES. 



time, looked upon as a wilder theory than any projxisitiou, 
moral, political or religious, that has since engaged the serious 
attention of mankind. It was regarded as impracticable, dis- 
organizing, impious, and. 11' not utterl}- subversive of social 
order, it ^vas not so only because its manifest absurdity Avould 
prevent any serious effort to enforce it. The lightest punish- 
ment deemed due to its confessor was to drive him out into 
the howling wilderness. Had he not met with more Christian 
treatment from the savage children of the forest than he had 
found from " the Lord's ancjinted," he wdiild have perished in 
the beginning of his experiment. 

Mr. President, fame, what we call human glory, renown, 
is won on many fields, and in many varieties of human effort. 
Some clutch it with Idoody hands, amid the smoke and thun- 
der of battle. Some woo it in the (juiet retreats of study, till 
the calm seclusion is broken by the plaudits of admiring mil- 
lions, of every tongue and of ever}' clime. Some, in contests, 
which, if not bloody, are too often bitter and vindictive, seek 
it in the forum, amid '' the apjilause of listening senates," 
caught up and echoed back by the liunultuous cheers of jinpii- 
lar adulation. All tliese enjoy, while they live, the renown 
which gilds their memories with unfading glory. The praise 
which attends them is their present reward. It stimulates 
them to greater exertions and sustains them in higlier flights. 
And it is just and right. 

But there is a fame of auollier kind, that comes in anotlier 
way, that comes unsought, if it comes at all ; for the first 
condition for those who achieve it is that they shall not seek 
it. When a man, in the communion of his own conscience, 
follii wing the lessons of his own convictions, determines what 
it is his duty to do, and. in obscurity and discouragement, with 
no companions but difficulty and peril, goes out to do it — - 



ROGER WILLIAMS. 31 



when such a man establishes a great principle of human con- 
duct, or succeeds in achieving a great amelioration or a great 
benefit to the human race, without the expectation or the 
desire of reward, in jiresent honor or in future renown, the 
fame that shines a glory around his l)row is a reflection from 
the "pure white light,'" in Avliieh the angels walk, aroimd the 
throne of God. 

Such a- man was Roger Williams. No thought of himself, 
no idea of recompense or of praise interfered to sully the 
perfect purity of his motives, the perfect disinterestedness of 
his conduct. Laboring for the highest benefit of his fellow- 
men, he was entirely indiiferent to their praises. He knew, 
for God, whose prophet he was, had revealed it to him, 
that the great principle for which he contended and for 
which he suffered, founded in the eternal fitness of things, 
would endure forever. He did not inquire if his name 
would survive a generation. In his vision of the future, 
he saw mankind emancipated from the thraldom of priest- 
craft, from the blindness of bigotry, from the cruelties of 
intolerance ; he saw the nations walking forth in the liberty 
wherewith Christ had made them free ; he saw no memorial 
of himself, in marble or in bronze, or in the general admira- 
tion of mankind. More than two centuries have passed since 
he flourished ; nearly two centuries have passed since he died, 
buried like Moses, for " no man knoweth of his sepulchre ;" 
and now the great doctrine which he taught pervades the 
civilized world. A grateful State sends up here the ideal 
image of her Founder and her Father. An appreciative 
nation receives it, and, through her accredited representa- 
tives, pledges herself to preserve it among her most precious 
treasures. 



JONATHAN TRUMBTILL AM) ROGER SHERMAN. 



On the 8th of March, 1872, the Senators from Connec- 
ticut formal^ presented to Congress the statues of Jona- 
than TramljuU and Roger Sherman, which had been placed 
in the old Hall of Representatives, in accordance of the 
same act of Congress under which those of Nathanael 
Greene and Roger Williams had been placed there. Mr. 
Buckingham made the speech on Trumbull, Mr. Ferry 
that on Sherman. At their request, the resolutions of 
acceptance were offered by Mr. Anthony, who spoke as 
follows : — 

I send to the Chair two resolutions, and ask unanimous 
consent for their present consideration. 
The resolutions were read, as follows : — 

Resolved hy the Senate, (the House of Eepresentatives concurring,) 
That the thanks of Congress are presented to the Governnr, and 
through him to the people of the Slate of Connecticut, for the 
statues of Jonathan Trumbull and Roger Sherman, whose names 
are so honorablj' identiticd with our revolutionary historj-. 

Besolved, That these works of art are accepted in tlie name of 
the nation, and assigned a place in the old Hall of the House of 
Kepresentatives, already set aside, by act of Congress, for statues 
of eminent citizens, and tliat a cojiy of this resolution, signed by 
the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Eepre- 
sentatives, be transmitted to the Governor of Connecticut. 



T n V M li u L r. A N 1) s II !■; ii .\r a n . 83 

By unanimous consent, the Senate proeeeded to consider 
the resolutions. 

Mr. Anthony. Mr. I'l'esident, it is witli more tiian 
common pleasure that I oft'er this resolution, which I am 
sure will meet with the unanimous vote of the Senate, 
welcoming to the Pantheon of America the statues of the 
two illustrious men whose lives and characters have been 
portrayed Avith such eloquent truth and fidelity by the 
Senators from the State which claims their a'lory. IJut not 
hers alone. Connecticut may indeed hold their memories iu 
a tenderer and more affectionate veneration ; Connecticut 
may feel with a greater weight the obligation wliich their 
example and their characters impose ; but renown like 
theirs passes the boundaries of States, and, spreading from 
ocean to ocean, reaches as wide as the ever expanding 
boundaries of the Republic. Nor is it confined to the 
Republic, for, in all the Avorld, wherever, constitutional 
freedom has gained a foot-hold, Avherever in the j^rogress 
of civilization, popular rights shall find . recognition and 
protection, the names of Jonathan Truml)ull and Roger 
Sherman will l)e held in honorable remembrance. They 
were great men at a time of great men. They towered 
high among their compeers, when only men of marked 
character rose above the surface. 

Mr. President, when we contemplate the revolutionarv 
period of our history and the characters of the men who 
made it illustrious, we estimate, higher and higher, the 
great work which they accomplished and the mighty hands 
that performed it; and with that contemplation naturally 
comes a higher sense of the responsibilty which the lives 
and the labors of such men devolve upon those who sue- 



34 JI E M () R I A i. A O I) U E S S E S 



ceed to the inheritance which they achieved. Surely, it 
has not i)lease(l the all-wise Disposer of events to intrust 
to any countr}^ a larger measure of the destinies of the 

future than to ours, nor lias Hi' l)urdent'(l any generation 
more riilily witli the liojics of mankind. The reverence 
in wliieli we hulil the memories of these men, and of men 
like them, is no imperfect test of our fidelity to their 
prineijjles, of our fidelity to our own political duties anil 
responsibilities. 

The resolutions were unaninionsly adopted. 



THE CHEVALIER DE TERNAY 



In the Senate, December IG. ISTo. Mr. Antlmiiy iiilrd- 
(liicecl the followino- bill : — 

Hi; it enacted, cfcc, Tluit the sum of $800, or so much thereof as may 
be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money not otherwise 
appropriated, to defray the expense of repairing and iiroteeting from 
decay the monument erected at Newport, Rliode Island, to tlie mem- 
ory of the Chevalier de Ternay, the commander of the French naval 
forces in aid of the American Revolution, in 1780, the money hereliy 
appropriated to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of 
tlie Navy. 

In support of the bill Mr. Authouy made the following 
remarks : — ■ 

The 11th of July, ITfSO, was a memorable day in tlie histciry 
(jf the country. < )a that day, the Chevalier Charles I>ouis 
d'Arsao de Ternay, an admiral in the French navy, Knight 
of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, arrived off the coast 
of Rhode Island, and entered the harbor of Newport, witli 
seven ships of the line, two frigates and several smaller armed 
vessels; and witli a, convoy of thirty-six transports, carrying 
between six and seven thousand troops, under the command 
of Count de Roehambeau. 

This armament arrived at one of tlie dark periods of tiie 
uuec|ual struggle which the America-n colonies were waging 
with the might of England ; when baffled valor and disheart- 
ened patriotism looked, with faltering faith, to Heaven, for the 



86 >r E M () i; 1 A 1. A I > 1 ) K F, S S V. s . 

siucdi- wliicli seemed to l)e denied to ;ill Imiiiiiii ef'f'oil . A 
little wiiile liefoic, Wasliinf^loii Lad written to Jose])!) Keed, 
" I have almost ceased to ]io])e."' 

'I'lie airival of De Teniay and liiM-liamheaii iiisjiiiiled tlie 
eoiiiitrv and 1ille(l its niiineils w itli iie\\li(i|ie. They were 
reeeived with everv demonstration of oflicial respect and of 
po])ular f;'ratnlation. The fieneral Assembly presented an 
address to the two eomnianders : tlic city of New])nrt, which 
had hniL;' lu'cn reiiowiied as the chief seat of enlture and social 
rerincnicnl in America, welcomed them with a cordial and cle- 
j^ant hospitality, most grateful after their wearisome voyage of 
moi'e than two months, and Avliieh called forth enthusiastic 
jiiviiscsin the corres])on(lenceof the Due de Lauy.un and others 
of the I'^rench offici'i's. The town was illuminated fromjiave- 
nient to stee])le-top ; lire-works hla/.ed aloULi; the streets, and 
lionliresliL^'liled up the uiUM|nallcd harlior in which the friendly 
vessels were anchored, and on whose hroad bosom the navies 
of the world might ritle, with amjile space and safety. 

I need not refer to the plans of extensive operations that 
were formed by the I'^-ench commanders, in consultation w illi 
Washington and the chiefs of the contine]ital army : nor to 
the causes which postponed tlie execution of these plans, and 
so long delayed the realization of the liopes founded on the 
alliance witli France. All this is matter of liistory. 

The Chevalier (h' 'J"erna\ i-emaincd in command of the 
French na\al forces in America till his death, which occnii-cd 
on the l.")tli of the following Decendier, very sudileidy, at the 
house of Dr. William Hunter, the father of William lliinler. 
w ho was twice elected a mcmbei' of this body, and aftcrw ards 
was ap]iointed minister to Brazil : and grandfather of William 
lliniler, so long and honorably connected with the |)e]iai-l- 
mcut of State. 



THE C H E V A L I E li T) J': T E R N A Y . -5 I 

'I'lic Clirvulicr de Ternay was buried at Newijort. Witli 
the lilii-iiility in religions matters \ylncli, from llie heninninL;', 
lias distinguished the people of Rhode Island, a jiortion of a 
Protestant cemetevv was set apart for his l)uria,l. and consi'- 
rrati'd arcordiiin' to tlie rites of the Roman Catholic Cliurcli : 
and in this spot, hallowed by two of the great branehes of 
tlie C'liristian faith, the warrior who had fought for two coun- 
tries, and in many eliraes, was laid to his long repose. It 
was in the ground surrounding the yeneral)le and beautiful 
edifice where Honeyman ministered, and where Berkeley 
bad ]iveaehed — Trinity ehnreh. The jjody of tlie dead 
Ailmiral was borne on the shoidders of the men whom jje 
liad cnnnuanded. Nine pi'iests chanted the funeral seryice. 
'i'iic imposing eerennmial of the Roman Catholic C'liureh, the 
jionip (if military and nayal ])ageantry, the sorrowing ])0p- 
ulation tliat thronged around the graye of their friend and 
ally, made the eyent long remembered, as the largest and 
most distinguished obsequies that had ever been celebrated 
in tliat eity. 

After the peace, the king of France i^laced a memorial oyer 
the graye of the man who had borne his commission on many 
seas and had served him with so great fidelity. On a slah of 
Egy])tian marble, in letters of gold, an ejiitaph recounts his 
services and commen^orates his virtues. The epitaph is in 
I>atin. ^V translation is furnished l>y an accomjilisjied scliolar, 
Sidney Everett, in a very interesting paper read liefore the 
Histoi'ical Society at Newport, and since published in the 
New England Historical and Genealogical Register. It is as 
follows : — 

" ( 'linrlcs Louis <l'Arsac de Tcriiay , a Knight of the Ordci- of St. .Tohli 
of .Jcrusalcin. tliougli not yet having taken tlie vows, of old and noble 
fanuly of Avmoviean descent, one of the admirals of the I'oyal fleets. 
a citizen, a soldier and a connnauder, deserving well of his king and 



;18 M K iM O ]i 1 A J. A D 1 ) R K S S K S . 

<xnintry for 42 years, lies iimler this iiiarlik'. Fortunate and bold, after 
tlu' disaster of St. Croix in tlip j'ears 17fJ()-Cl, in spite of the enemy's 
attacl<s and willi severe lal)or, he floated off and got away the royal 
ships from the dark whirljiools, and after they liadbeen separateil by 
the tortuous windinics of fhe river Yilaine reston-d them safe to their 
stations, [n the year 17()2 he invaded Mewlnundland in Anieilca. In 
1772 giving up hiseommand, he devoted himself wholly to governing 
the Islands of France and JJourbon during seven years, to the advan- 
tage of France, and the happiness of the Colonists. In the year 1780, 
being sent by his most Christian King with relief to the Federal States 
struggling for liberty, he occupied Rhode Island. While he was pre- 
l)aring himself for n('w dangers he died in this city, to the grief of his 
lellow iitllrers. :in<l « iili the lamentsand regrets of theFedcral States, 
eminent fm- every vii-tue and mourned by his friends, on the loth Dee. 
17.*^ll, aged .JS. His most Christian ilajesty, the judge of virtue, in 
ciriler that the memory of a distiuguislu'd man should be consecrated 
to posterity, ordered this monument to be placed liere in 1783 * 



• Tlie foHowing is tlie original inscription : 

D. O. M. 

CAKOLUS LCDOVICUS D'AKSAC DE TEltSAY 

Ordinis Sii Ilierosulymitaiii, Eques, nondiim vota professus, 
ji vcEere et uobili geuerc, apud amoricos oriuiidus, 
nnus c Kugiuruin clas^iiim pra^fuctis. 

CIVIS, MILKS, IMPEHATOR, 

de Regc suo, ut I*atria, per -12 aniios bene raeritus, 
lioc sub inarmore .tacet. 

PELICITER AUPAX, 

naves Regias, post croisiacam cladem, 

per invios viceno.vi.k fluvii anrractus difjcclas 

fc coecis voraginibus, et iniprobo laborc. annis ntiO, 1761, 

inter tela liostiuin, 

detrusit, avellit. ct Stationibus suis restituit incolumes. 

.•\nno 17Gi Teriiam Novam in AmiTica invasit. 

Aiino 1772, rennneiatns i-k.ktou, 

ad regendas iiokboniam et frami.i: Insulas 

in OAI.I.I.H comnioda, ct Ooloniiinm felicitatem, 

per aiuios Septem touis inrnbuit. 

FiKUEKATis oRDiNiBus, pro lil)crlale dimicaiitibus. 

A REOE cMRisTiANissiMo missus. subsidio anno 1780 

riioi>i:m insulam occtipavii; 

Dam ad nova se accingebal pcricula, 

IN IIAC URBE. 

inter coniniililoriun planctns, 

inter fcederatorcm ordinum lamenta et desidcria, 

mortem obiit, gravem bonis oinnil)ns et bictuosam suis, 

die 1,511 Xbris M.ncC.LXXX, 

natus annos 58. 

REX CHRi8TiANtssi3ics severissimiis. virtulis judex, 

nt elarissimi Viri mcmoria posteritati consecrctnr, 

hoc monumentuu) poncndum jussit 

M.DCC.LXXXIII. 



THE CHEVALIER DE TERNAY. 39 

The masonry which supported this marble had crumbled, 
and the whole structure was falling to decay, Avhen it attracted 
the notice of the Marquis de Noailles, the French minister 
at Washington, who immediately directed it to be repaired, 
and a granite slab, suitabl}' inscribed, to be placed over it : 
and removed the marble, with the original inscription, reno- 
vated and restored, to the interior of the church, where it is 
to be placed in a perpendicular position, with an escutcheon, 
in marble, of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jeru- 
salem. 

It seems manifestly improper that the country should per- 
mit this pious duty to be performed — I will not say by a 
stranger, for the kinsman of La Fayette cannot be a stranger 
in America — but by any individual, or by any other govern- 
ment. De Ternay did not, indeed, like LaFayette, inspired 
by the love of liberty, volunteer his maiden sword in aid of 
our struggling nationality ; but with willing obedience to the 
commands of his sovereign he brought to our assistance skUl, 
experience, and a name renowned in war. His premature 
death prevented the benefits which the country expected 
from his services, yet those services, so long as life lasted, 
were apjsreciated by both governments. His own govern- 
ment honored his sepulchre, and left it in the charge of 
ours, on the soil which he had defended, and among the peo- 
ple whom he had succored. We cannot delegate that trust, 
or permit any but the highest authority to administer it. 

We must not, in the honors which we pay to the heroes of 
our own time, forget those whose deeds illustrate our earlier 
annals, lest the fame which we now celebrate may, in its turn, 
be put aside by that which is not brighter in lustre, but nearer 
to the living generation. But let us hold in equal remem- 
brance those who have identified their names with the glory 



40 M K Jl O It i A L A ] M > l; I-. S S lO S 



dl' flif (•(iiiiitrv. ill whatever time they llomislied. iiiid iVciiii 
wiiatt'ver eliiue tlu-y eiiiiie. And let tlie eoiiuiig i^-ciicratioiis 
be tauglit that those w 111 1 emitiiluite to tlie defeiiee, tlie ad- 
Viineemeiit, the renown nf ihe great Re])ul)]ie, sliail never lie 
forgotten, Imt shall live in grateful remendirauee, eoeval with 
its own inuiiortal life. 

It may he jnujier. altliongh it is not necessary, to say tiiat 
I projiose this resolution wholly without the knowledge of 
the Man]uisde Noailles. I move its ret'ereiiee to the Com- 
mittee on Naval Affairs. 

The motion was agreed to. 

Mr. Aiithony snlise(|uently said : Tt has been suggt'sted to 
me, and 1 think mysidf it would ln' more graeious, if the liill 
which I introduced, appropriating •'iiiSOO for the repair and 
preservation of the monument of the Chevalier dc Ternay, 
should lie passed without a reference. I am ([uite sure no 
one will oliject to it. 

The bill was reported to the Senate without amendment, 
ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, read the third 
time, and passed. 

The following letter upon the subject was addressed to 
Mr. Anthony by the .Mar(|uis dc Xiiaillcs, the I'^rcnch .Min- 
ister at Washington : — 

Washington, December SOth, 1873. 

My dear Senator: — 

I have read with a deep feeling nf uratiluile, llic liiU passed nil 
the ICitli of December by the Semite, concerning the seinilehral nion- 
ument of the Clu'valier dc Ternay. If auvtliing conld add to the 
vuhie of such a maiiitestation of the most delicate sentiment, it would 
lie the courteous manner in wliiehthis bill has been jiassed and adopt- 
ed by unanimous consent. The French Govcriunent and the yreiieh 
people will certainly be extremely sensible of such a jiroof of the 
pious recollection which the present generation preserves of what has 



THE C H E V A L I E K D E T E R N A Y . 41 

been done in former times, and it becomes my pleasant duty to remark 
that in American hearts, if I may use here a metaphor which does not 
seem foreign to the subject, the memory of the aid given bj' France 
to the j'ouug Eepublic has been more lasting than the Egyptian marble 
erected in the tomb of de Ternay. 

The assistance which your people, in their iniancy, received from 
the old world, you have since amply repaid, b}' what you have done to 
the cause of humanir>-, in extending civilization and the true principles 
of libert}', from ocean to ocean, over the immensitj- of the new Amer- 
ican continent. 

So far as I am concerned, I feel it a great honor that my name 

should have been mentioned before so illiisti-ious a body as the Senate 

of the United States. 

» » » » « 

I remain, my dear Senator, very sincerely yours, 

MAEQUIS DE NOATLLES. 

Mr. Washbvu'ue, the American Minister at Paris, communi- 
cated a copy of the bill, with the speech, to the Duke de Cazas, 
the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who replied in a note, 
of which the following is a ti'anslation : — 

Versailles, Jannary 14, 1874. 
My dear Minister: — 

I thank you for yom' note enclosing the speech of Mr. Anthonv. 
in support of the appropriation for the restoration of the tomb of the 
Admiral d'Arsac de Ternay, who died during the war of independence. 
The Marquis de iJfoailles had already advised me of this resolution 
and of the unanimous assent which it received. 

Demonstrations of this kind are honorable alike to those who make 
them and to those in whose behalf they are rendered. I deem myself 
fortunate in the occasion to assure you how promptly the generous 
sentiments expressed on the other side of the Atlantic have found an 
echo in the hearts of the French people and of the government 
The memories evoked in such felicitous terms by the Senator from 
Rhode Island, are equally precious to your country and to our own : 
and the eloquent voice which recalls to the attention of the living 



42 M K M ' 1 1; I A I. A 1 1 n R E S S E s . 

generation the acliievenients in wliicli Admiral d'Arsac De Ternay 
bore a ])art, is heard with the same pleasure in Paris as in Washing- 
ton 

Accept the assurance of the liij;h consideration with which I have 
the honor to be, my dear minister, 

Vnur very humble and obedient servant, 

DITC DE CAZAS. 




p/^U^--i^-^- 



•^ 



CHARLES SUMNER. 



Charles Stjmnee died in Washington, March 11, 1874, 
after an illness of a few hours. Mr. Boutwell. the surviving 
Senator from Massachusetts, was ill, and not able to attend 
in the Senate, and announce the death of his colleague, and 
he with the delegation from Massachusetts, in the House, 
requested Mr. Anthony' to perform tliat sad duty. The 
Senate having been i-alled to order, Mr. Anthony spoke as 
follows : — 

Mr. Prenidtiit : In the absence of the Senator to whom this 
saddest duty appertains, and who is detained from the Senate 
by illness, the surviving Senator from Massachusetts, I have 
been requested to make to you the formal announcement of an 
event which my laeart refuses to accept, and which my lips 
hesitate to declare. It is an event which needs not to be 
announced, for its dark shadow rests gloomily upon this 
chamber, and not only upon the Senate and the capital, but 
upon the whole country, and the intelligence of which, borne 
on the mysterious wires that underlie the seas, has been 
already carried to the remotest lands, and has aroused pro- 
foundest S3'mpatlw, wherever humanity weeps for a friend, 
M'herever liberty deplores an advocate. The oldest member 
of this body in continuous service, he who yesterday was the 
oldest, beloved for the graces and the virtues of his personal 
character, admired for his genius and his accomplishments, 



44 M 1-; .M < 1 1: 1 A 1. a i > i > i; k s s k s . 

reverenced for the fidelity with whieh he adhered to his con- 
victions, illustrious for his services to the Republic and to the 
world, has crossed the dark river that divides us from the 
" undiscovered country." 

Charles Sumner died yesterday. To-day. in limiible sub- 
mission to the divine will, we meet to express our respect 
for his character, our veneration for his memory. To-mor- 
row, with solemn steps and with sorrowing hearts, we shall 
bear him to the Massachusetts which he served so faithfully, 
iiml which loved him sii well: ami In her soil, jirccious with 
tiuMlust (if jiatriiitism and nf valor, oi' letters and of art. of 
statesmanship and of eloquence, we shall commit the body of 
one who is worthy to rest by the side of the noblest and the 
best of those who, in the centuries of her history, have made 
her the model of a free commonwealth. l)nt the great deeds 
whieh illustrated his life shall not be buried with him, and 
never shall the earth cover the immortal principles to which 
he devoted every energy of his soul — the consummation and 
vindication of which, as his highest reward, a gracious God 
])ermitted him to witness. 

.Mr. President, this is not the time, nor is the office mine, 
to pronounce the words that are due to this event. A future 
hour and more fitting utterances shall interpret to the Ameri- 
can people the affectionate respect of the Senate to our dead 
associate, the homage which it renders to his life and char- 
acter. 

Mr. President, I offer the following resolutions : — 

Resolved, That a committee of six memlicrs he aijpointpd by tlio 
President of the Senate jrco tempore, to take order for superintendin-i 
the funeral of Charles Sumner, late a member of this body, whieh 
will take place to-morrow (Friday) at lialf past twelve; and that the 
Senate will attend the same. 



CHARLES SUMNER. 45 



Besolved, As a further mnrk of respect entertained by the Senate 
for the memory of Charies Sumner, and liis lowj, and distinguished 
services to his country, tliat his i-cniains be removed to the Common- 
wealth of Massachusetts, in charge of the Sergcant-at-Arms, and 
attended by a committee of seven Senators, to be appointed by the 
President of tlie Senate pi-o tempore, wlio shall have full power to 
carry this resolution into effect. 

Resolved, That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of 
the deceased, the Senate do now adjourn. 

The President i-iro fciii/ini-c appuiuted tlie following com- 
mittee niider the resolution : — 

('oiiniiiffci' "f Arrdiii/i-mi'ulx. — Messrs. Anthony, Schnrz. 
Frelinghuysen, Morrill, of Maine, Stevenson and Thnrman. 

Committee to accomjjani/ the ronains; and to act ag pall- 
hearers. — Messrs. Anthony, Schnrz, Stockton. Sargent, Ogles- 
by, and McCreery. 

On the next day. the liody of Mr. Sumner, after appropri- 
ate and imi)ressive funeral ceremonies, was eouvej-ed from 
Washington, in a sjiecial train, in charge of the committee, 
and accompanied by a committee of the House of Represent- 
atives and the delegation from Massachusetts, as mourners. 

The Ixidy was delivered to the Governor of Massachusetts, 
at Doric Hall in the State-house, where, besides the Governor, 
were the Executive Council, committees of the two houses of 
the Legislature, the Mayor of Boston, and other official per- 
sonages. Arrived at the State-house, Mr. Anthony, chairman 
of the committee of the Senate, addressed the Governor as 
follows : — 

Mail it 2)1 ease Your Excellency : — We are commanded by 
the Senate of the United States to render liack to you your 
illustrious dead. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, you 
dedicated to the jjublic service a man who was, even then, 



46 MEMORIAL A D D 14 i; S S E S , 



greatly distinguished. He remained in it, quickening its 
patriotism, informing its counsels, and leading in its delibera- 
tions, uiilil, having survived in continuous service all his 
original associates, he has closed liis earthly career. With 
reverent hands we l)ring to you his imu-tal part, tliat it 
may he committed to the soil of the renowned Common- 
wealth which gave him birth. Take it: it is yours. The 
part which we do not return to you is not wholly yours 
to receive, nor altogether ours to give. It belongs to the 
country, to freedom, (o civilization, to humanity. We come 
to you with the emblems <il' uKuirning. which faintly typify 
the sorrow that dwells in the lireasts wliicli lliey cover. So 
much we must concede to the infirmity of human nature. 
But in the view of reason and philo.sophy, is it not rather a 
matter of high exidtation that a life so pure in its personal 
qualities, so lofty in its public aims, so fortunate in the fru- 
ition of nohle effort, has closed safely, without a stain, before 
age had impaired its intellectual vigor, ])cfore time had 
dimmed the lustre of its genius ? 

May it please Your Excellenc)/ : ( )ur niissimi is accom- 
plished. We commit to you the liody of Charles Sumner. 
His undying fame, the Muse of History has already taken 
into her keeping. 

( >n tlu' 28th of April, 1874, the following resolutions were 
introduced into the Senate by Mr. Bout well, of ]\Iassaclui- 
setts: — 

Rexolvcd by the. S Mate, That as an adilitioiiiil mark nf ri'spi-cl to the 
memory of Cliarles Sumner, loiii; a Senator from Ma!>sa<'husett.s. 
Iiusiuess he now suspended, tlial llie Irieiids and associates of tlie 
ileceased may pay fitting tribute to his pul)lie and jirivate virtues. 

Resolved, That the Secretarj' of tlie Senate communicate these 
resolutions to the House of Eepresentatives. 



CHARLES SUMKEE. 47 

The resolutions were adopted unanimously. Addresses 
were made by Mr. Boutwell of Massachusetts, Mr. Thurman 
of Ohio, Mr. Spencer of Alabama, Mr. Morrill of Vermont, 
Mr. Pratt of Indiana, Mr. Sargent of California, Mr. Sher- 
man of Ohio, Mr. Wadleigh of New Hampshire, and Mr. 
Anthony of Rhode Island, who maxlc the closing speech as 
follows : — 

Mr. President : I can add nothing of narration or of eulogy 
to what has been said, and so well said. Mr. Sumner's life, 
his character and his services have been fittingly presented, 
and on both sides of the chamber. The generous voices of 
political opponents have followed the affectionate praises of 
devoted friends, and nothing remains, but to close this sad 
and august observance. Yet something forbids my entii-e 
silence, and impels me to interpose a few sentences, before 
the subject passes from the consideration of the Senate. 

My acquaintance with Mr. Sumner conunenced previous 
to my entrance into this body, where it ripened into a friend- 
ship, which will always remain among the most agreeable 
recollections of my public life. I remained associated with 
him, until every other seat in the chamber, except one, had 
changed its occupant, and eight new ones had been added. 
Some left us in the ordinary chances and changes of political 
fortunes ; some were transferred to other departments of the 
public service ; and of these some have returned again to the 
Senate. Some, as Douglas, and Baker, and Collamer, and 
Foot, and Fessenden, fell, like Sumner, at their posts, and 
like him were borne to their final repose, with all the demon- 
strations of public gratitude, of official respect, and of popular 
affection, with which a generous constituency decorates the 
memory of those whose lives have been spent in its service, 
and who have worthily worn its honors. 



4S MEAlOliiAL ADDliliSSES. 

lint Mr. Sumuer's constituency was the Republic, wide as 
its farthest bouudarv and permeating its utmost limits ; for 
he was conspicuously tiie reiiresentative of a principle which, 
although seminal in the organization of the Government, was 
slow of growtli and fructified largely under his care. When 
I he intelligence of his death followed so close upon the first 
intimation of his danger, it fell with an equal shock upon all 
classes of society, upon " all sorts and conditions of men ;"' it 
invaded, with ecjual sorrow, the abodes of luxury and the 
cottages of the poor — 

" pauperum tabernas, 



Rcijunique turres. 

The scholar closed his book and the laborer leaned upon his 
spade. The highest in the land moiu-ned their peer, the low- 
liest lamented their friend. How well his life h.id earned 
this universal testimony of respect ; how naturally the broad 
syiniiatliy wliicli lie liail iiianifcsh'd for tlie wronged anil the 
injured of every condition came back to honor his memory, it 
is not my purpose to enlarge njjon. His eulogy is liis life ; 
his epitaph is the general grief ; his monument, budded by his 
own hands, is the eternal statutes of freedom. 

Mr. President, when I look liauk over this long period, 
crowded with great events, and whidi has witnessed the 
convulsion of the nation, the reorganization and reconstruc- 
tion of our political system ; when, in mj' mind's aye,, I people 
this chamber with those whose forms have been familiar to 
me, whose names, many of them historical names, have lieen 
labelled on these desks, and are now carved on fhe marble 
that covers their dust, I am filled with a sadness inexpressible, 
yet full of consolation. For, musing on the transitory nature 
of all sublunary things, 1 come to perceive that their insta- 
bility is not in their essence, but in the forms which they 



CHARLES S U M >I E l; . 49 



assume, and in the agencies that operate iipon them ; and 
when I recall those whom I have seen fall around me, and 
whom I thought necessary to the success, almost to the preser- 
vation of great principles, I recall also those whom I have 
seen step into the vacant places, put on the armor which 
they wore, lift the weapons which they wielded, and march on 
to the consummation of the work which they inaugurated. 
And thus I am filled with reverent wonder at the beneficent 
ordering of nature, and inspired with a loftier faith in that 
Almighty Power, without whose guidance and direction all 
human effort is vain, and with whose blessing the humblest 
instruments that He selects are equal to the mightiest work 
that He designs. 



WILLIA:\r A. BUCKINGHAM. 



Wii.r.iA>r A. BrcKiNGHA:M died at Norwich, February 
5, iHlo. On the 2Ttli of the same month, Mr. Ferry of 
Connecticut introduced into the Senate a resohition of 
respect for his memory. On this resolution Mr. Anthony 
spoke as follows : — 

Jlr. President, 

'•The fhinnljiT where the good man meets his I'ale 
Is privileged beyond the common v,;\\k 
Of virtuous life ; (luite in the verge of heaven." 

The resolution of the Senator from Connecticut bids us 
pause in the proceedings of the closing session, that we 
may render honor to a good man ; one who, in a long life, 
crowded with active duties and largely occupied with the 
responsible coutnil of inipcirtaut pulilic aflairs, did not fail 
in what he owed to liiuiself and to his 1V11o\v-humi, and 
who has left on his record nothing that those who loved 
him best and wlio grieve for him most would wish to 
efface. 

There is nothing certain in life but dcatli. 

"Leaves have tlieir time to fall, 
And flowers to wither at tlie north wind's breath, 
And stars to set ; but all, — 
Thou hast all seasons for thine own, O Death !" 



I 




t-v - •>-•*- 



■^ij? 



'«■ Vg.oep.™. i.c' 



-•sr?. 



nfh/f^ujz^ 




W I L L I A JI A . BUCKINGHAM. 51 



& 



And when death comes early, when it crushes the bud- 
ding loveliness of childhood or treads upon the bloom of 
youth, or even when it tramples on the strength of manhood, 
the natural grief that we feel is aggravated, because the 
event is as untimely as it is severe, and we murmur that 
it contradicts the (n-der of nature. 

But when the pale messenger lays his hand upon an 
accomplished life, a life that has rounded out the years 
which experience and inspiration assign as the desirable 
limit of human duration ; when these years have lieen 
occupied with usefulness, rewarded by success, and 
crowned with honors ; when a good man, having dis- 
charged the duties and fulfilled the trusts of life, lies 
down, calmly and peacefully, to his final repose, we may 
grieve, but we cannot complain. The tears of affection 
may not indeed be kept back, but the voice of reason is 
silenced. To complain at the close of such a life is to 
complain that the ripened fruit drops from the overloaded 
bough, that the golden harvest bends to the sickle ; it is 
to complain of the law of our existence, and to accuse 
the Creator, that he did not make man immortal on the 
earth. For such a life elo({uence shall lift her voice and 
poetry shall string her lyre. For such a man, praise, honor, 
imitation; but not tears I Tears for him who has failed; 
tears for him who fainted on the wayside; not for him 
who finished the journey ; tears for liim who, through his 
fault or liis misfortune, omitted to cnqiloy the oppor- 
tunities that were given to him for the work that was 
assigned to him, not for him who died when he had 
accomplished that for -wliich he lived. 

We will himent, therefore, in no complaining spirit, 
for the man whose memory we celebrate to-day. Witli 



52 M E M O K I A 1- A 1> D U E S S E S . 

our grief that he has died shall be mingled our thank- 
fulness that he has lived. The State that he served 
so faithfully and so well, in the time of lier greatest 
emergency, proudly lifts his name, and inscrihos it on the 
roll of her honored and remembered sons. Ami llie his- 
tory of that State cannot l)e fairly written without honor- 
able mention of his character and liis services. Tiie Sen- 
ate which he informed with wise councils, which lie 
adorned with dignity of manners and witli purity of life, 
bears equal testimony to his abilities and lu liis virtues, 
and equal lionor to liis ineuiory. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES. 



SUPPLEMENT. 



HENRY WILSON. 



Henry Wilson, Vice-President of tlie United States, died 
in the Vice-President's room, in the Capitol, at Washington, 
November 22, 1875. On the 21st of January, 1876, Mr. 
Boutwell introduced resohitions of respect to his memory. 
On these resohitions Mr. Anthony spoke as follows : — 

Mr. President : It was well said by my friend from Ken- 
tucky, that the life of Henry Wilson forms a chapter of 
American history full of instruction ; it is full of cheerful in- 
struction, full of hope to languid patriotism, full of encourage- 
ment to ingenuous youth. In his desolate and unprotected 
childhood, in the early struggles, through which his faculties 
developed into strength and his virtues hardened into consist- 
ency, in the steadfast purposes and the great results of his 
manhood, we have an illustration and a vindication of free 
institutions. With no advantages of birth or connection, he 
outstripped, in the career of life, those who started with him 
in the enjoyment of them all. The strength that he acquired 
in overcoming obstacles that friendly hands had removed from 
the paths of others enabled him to meet, with greater vigor, 
those obstacles which every man must encounter for himself. 
Without assistance, at the age when assistance is most needed, 
with little sympathy, till he had won a position that made him 
independent of it, he raised himself to the second place in the 
Republic, and, in the minds of many, was designated for the 
first. 



MEJIOKIAL ADDRESSES. 



I do not pi-oposo to delineate his cbaracter, or to recount 
the storj' of his life. I slioukl only repeat what has been 
better said, here and elsewhere, by those to whom the grateful 
duty was most appropriate. Enough that, in an age too much 
devoted to the pursuit of wealth, lie carried his contempt for 
money to a fault ; that in a time wlien the luxuriousness of 
private life invaded the j)urity and threatened the safety of 
society, he preserved the simple habits that best become a re- 
publican magistrate ; that as he had borne adversity without 
murmuring and with unconquerable determination, so he bore 
success with moderation ; and that in all his high employ- 
ments, the possession of jjower never provoked him to inso- 
lence in the exercise of it. I will not adduce, among the 
evidences of his merit, that his personal character mainly 
escaped calumny; for the best men in public life are not 
the least vilified, and political malignity seeks not the justice 
but the occasion of assault. But even that malignity could 
. find little upon which to fasten its fangs in one whose chief 
use for money was to give it to others, and whose only use of 
power was for the public good. 

Nor was the occasion of his death inappropriate to his lii'i-. 
It has been lamented that the inevitable hour found him 
away from his home, and without the tender ministrations of 
woman. In this regret I do not share. Where should the 
patriot warrior die, rather than on the field of battle or on the 
slippery deck, with the flag of his country victorious over 
him ? Where should the patriot statesman, whose life has 
been devoted to freedom, die, rather than in the Capitol, 
whose uplifted dome bears aloft the vindicated statue of 
Liberty. 

And home he had none. No man shared more largely in 
the affections of the American people ; no man was more be- 
loved by his immediate constituency ; but tiiose pleasures 
which tlie greatest of American orators placed above all the 



HENJRY WILSON 



other immeasurable blessings of rational existence, above the 
treasures of science and the delights of learning and the 
aspects of nature, even above good government and relio-ious 
liberty, " the transcendent sweets of domestic life," were no 
more for him. Those relations which nature intended for the 
joy and the rapture of our youth, for the happiness and the 
embellishment of our maturer years, for the comfort and con- 
solation of age, had been severed by the remorseless shears of 
Fate. No eye grew brighter when he raised the latch that 
held his lonely dwelling ; no outstretched arms of wife, no 
ringing laughter of children, welcomed his returning footsteps, 
when lie crossed the threshold over which all that had o-iven 
life, and joy, and beauty to that simple abode, and had lighted 
it up with a glory not of palaces, had been borne never to re- 
turn. He had nothing left to love but his country. It was 
proper, then, that he should die here, here where his greatest 
work had been wrought, here where his greatest triumphs had 
been achieved, here where his voice had been raised, till the 
outer corridors had echoed back his words, for truth, for jus- 
tice, for right. 

It was proper that from yonder cliamber, to which the suf- 
frages of liis fellow-citizens had carried him, he w;is borne to 
his final place of rest. He entered that town, for the first 
time, a friendless lad, all his possessions carried in a bundle 
which swung lightly in his hand. He entered it, for the last 
time, accompanied by the pageantry of a nation's woe, with 
muflBed drums, and arms revei-sed, and banners draped in 
black ; from a thousand heights the flag of his countrv 
drooped at half-mast ; from fort and arsenal and dock- 
yard, the booming of a single gun, at solemn intervals, an- 
nounced the progress of the sad procession. Tender and 
loving hands received him ; friends and neighbors, who loved 
him because he was good, even more than they admired him 
because he was great, stood tearfully around his open grave. 



MEMOKIAL ADDRESSES. 



The bleak wiiuls of a New England winter came down from 
his native hills, and moaned his requiem thi-oiigli the leafless 
trees. And there, with swelling hearts, but with unfaltering 
trust in the eternal promises of God, they laid his manly and 
stalwart form to mingle with the dust of his kindred. 



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